After a year away on maternity leave, Emmerdale actress Charley Webb understandably had a few doubts about heading back to work.

That is, until she picked up her scripts and saw the dramatic storyline prepared for her return, involving stolen money, gangsters and kidnap. It’s clear that her character, Debbie Dingle, is back with a bang.

I really love it at Emmerdale

Charley Webb

“I’m busy, which has been fun,” she smiles. “I was off on maternity leave for just over a year, so it was a bit of a shock to the system coming back.

But I’ve had a great storyline to get my teeth into, so I’ve got back into the swing of it quite quickly.”

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Viewers will recall how mechanic Debbie fled to France with her children Sarah and Jack on New Year’s Day 2016, after learning that boyfriend Ross Barton (Michael Parr) had shot Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley).

Tired of Ross’s lies, Debbie vowed to make a fresh start away from him and the village, so when she returns to Emmerdale, it’s not immediately obvious exactly why she’s back.

“The first we see of Debbie is when her dad, Cain (Jeff Hordley) spots her on some CCTV footage on a crime programme,” Charley reveals. “She’s on the run in a stolen car with a lot of money in it and there are gangsters chasing her.

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“There is a huge reason behind her stealing the car and the money and coming back to England. I can’t say too much, but we find out very quickly what’s going on.”

After seemingly escaping her pursuers, Debbie arrives in the village to the relief of her parents, Cain and Charity (Emma Atkins). “They are just really happy to have her back,” Charley says. “They’re a bit shocked that she’s stolen all of this money, but they’re Dingles, so it’s not that surprising!”

Yet Debbie still isn’t safe. While her children are being babysat at the Dingles, two men burst in looking for her. They kidnap the children and demand Debbie pays up that day in order to get them safely back. Cain and Charity step in to try to save the day.

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Charley, 28, who lives in Yorkshire, joined Emmerdale when she was just 14. On screen her troubled character has spent time in prison and suffered a string of failed romances.

Off-screen her life has thankfully been more settled, having found love with co-star Matthew Wolfenden, 36, who plays David Metcalfe. The couple have been together nine years and have two children together, Buster, six, and Bowie, one.

It is clear that Charley dotes on her two boys, and with her home just 15 minutes away from the studios in Leeds, Emmerdale remains her ideal job.

“I’d always be interested in looking at playing other things, but I’ve alwaysgot big storylines and time just flies by,” she explains.

“I really love it at Emmerdale.”

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